Sliding mechanism

ABSTRACT

A sliding mechanism includes at least one member adapted to slide along at least one body wall. The body wall and the sliding member are adapted to mate in at least one designated location when the sliding member is pushed into frictional sliding contact with the body wall from an initial location. A motion detector is operatively coupled to the sliding member. A controller is operatively coupled to the motion detector and adapted to determine whether the sliding member has moved from the initial location to the designated location based on input from the motion detector.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), this application claims thebenefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2003-0023757, filed on Apr. 15, 2003, the contents ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to communication devicesand more particularly to a sliding mechanism for a communicationterminal cover.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Mobile communication terminals equipped with slide covers havebeen known for some time. FIG. 1 schematically depicts a conventionalmobile communication terminal having a cover 10 adapted to sliderelative to a main body part 20. A Hall effect switch 30 is provided atone side of main body part 20 with a corresponding magnet 40 beingprovided on cover part 10, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0006] Hall effect switch 30 senses relative positional movement ofmagnet 40 and outputs a corresponding signal to a controller (not shown)notifying the controller whether cover part 10 is in an open/closedstate relative to main body part 20. When cover part 10 is beingslidably closed, magnet 40 moves within operational range of Hall effectswitch 30 and Hall effect switch 30 is turned on. When cover part 10 isbeing slidably opened, magnet 40 moves out of operational range of Halleffect switch 30 and Hall effect switch 30 is turned off.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a conventional slide-type mobilecommunication terminal operation. After the controller is initiated, asshown by “start” step 42, the controller checks whether slide cover part10 is in an open state relative to main body part 20, step 44. If slidecover part 10 is in an open state, the controller operates the mobilecommunication terminal in a communication mode, step 46. If slide coverpart 10 is not in an open state, the controller checks whether slidecover part 10 is in a closed state relative to main body part 20, step48. If the answer is in the affirmative, the controller operates themobile communication terminal in a standby mode, step 50. If the answeris in the negative, the controller performs step 44, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0008] The above-described conventional setup unfortunately recognizesonly two states (open/closed) for slide cover part 10 and operates themobile communication terminal in only two modes, namely, communicationand standby modes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a slidingmechanism comprises at least one member adapted to slide along at leastone body wall. The body wall and the sliding member are adapted to matein at least one designated location when the sliding member is pushedinto frictional sliding contact with the body wall from an initiallocation. The sliding mechanism also comprises means for determiningwhether the sliding member has moved from the initial location to thedesignated location.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, asliding mechanism comprises at least one member adapted to slide alongat least one body wall. The body wall and the sliding member are adaptedto mate in at least one designated location when the sliding member ispushed into frictional sliding contact with the body wall from aninitial location. The sliding mechanism also comprises a motion detectorbeing operatively coupled to the sliding member. A controller isoperatively coupled to the motion detector and adapted to determinewhether the sliding member has moved from the initial location to thedesignated location based on input from the motion detector.

[0011] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, amethod for determining the open state of a slide cover part relative toa main body part of a communication terminal comprises the steps ofgenerating slide cover part motion data, processing the motion data todetermine whether the slide cover part is in a slightly open state,generating an alarm message if the slide cover part is determined to bein a slightly open state, processing the motion data to determinewhether the slide cover part is in a half way open state if the slidecover part is determined not to be in a slightly open state, generatingan automatic response if the slide cover part is determined to be in ahalf way open state, processing the motion data to determine whether theslide cover part is open enough to fully display the communicationterminal screen if the slide cover part is determined not to be in ahalf way open state, operating the communication terminal incommunication mode if the slide cover part is open enough to fullydisplay the communication terminal screen, processing the motion data todetermine whether the slide cover part is in a fully open state if theslide cover part is determined not to be open enough to fully displaythe communication terminal screen, and operating the communicationterminal in multimedia mode if the slide cover part is in a fully openstate.

[0012] These and other aspects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a review of the accompanying drawings and the followingdetailed description of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The present invention is generally shown by way of reference tothe accompanying drawings as follows.

[0014]FIG. 1 schematically depicts a conventional slide-type mobilecommunication terminal.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a conventional slide-type mobilecommunication terminal operation.

[0016]FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a sliding mechanism in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 4 schematically depicts a motion detector for use in thesliding mechanism of FIG. 3.

[0018]FIG. 5 schematically depicts a controller being operativelycoupled to the motion detector of FIG. 4.

[0019]FIG. 6 is an operational flow chart in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Some embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the related drawings of FIGS. 1-6. Additionalembodiments, features and/or advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description or may be learned by practicingthe invention.

[0021] In the figures, the drawings are not to scale with like numeralsreferring to like features throughout both the drawings and thedescription.

[0022] The following description includes the best mode presentlycontemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not tobe taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose ofdescribing the general principles of the invention.

[0023]FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a sliding mechanism 52 inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Slidingmechanism 52 may be used to slidably open/close a cover relative to amain body part of a mobile communication terminal. Sliding mechanism 52comprises first and second oppositely disposed sliding members 54, 56adapted on one side for slidable contact with inner walls 58, 60,respectively, of a main body part 62 of a mobile communication terminal.Sliding members 54, 56 are connected at one end via an integral crossbar 57 forming in part a generally U-shaped slide cover part 59 of themobile communication terminal.

[0024] Sliding member 56 is provided on an opposite side with a set ofgear teeth 64, i.e. it is configured as a rack. Gear teeth 64 areadapted to mesh with a corresponding set of gear teeth on a pinion gear66. Pinion gear 66 is coupled to a rotatable shaft 68 with shaft 68being in turn operatively coupled to a motion detector 70. Motiondetector 70 is adapted to sense the extent of rotational movement ofpinion gear 66 as rack (sliding member) 56 of slide cover part 59 slidesalong inner wall 60 of main body part 62. A person skilled in the artwould appreciate that the functionality provided by the rack-and-pinionsetup of FIG. 3 may be implemented by various other means as long assuch other means reside within the intended scope of the presentinvention.

[0025] As generally depicted in FIG. 4, motion detector 70 comprises aload resistor 74 connected in series with a variable resistor 76 withboth resistors being operatively coupled between a voltage supply sourceVcc and a current output terminal 78. The electrical resistance value ofvariable resistor 76 is preferably varied in direct proportion to thedisplacement which slide cover part 59 undergoes as sliding members 54,56 slide along inner walls 58, 60 (of main body part 62), respectively,as generally illustrated by directional arrows 80, 82 of FIG. 3. Achange in resistance value of variable resistor 76 would thus correspondto a respective change in displacement of slide cover part 59. Theresulting output current is fed to a controller 84 for processing via ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) 86, as schematically depicted in FIG.5. Controller 84 determines whether slide cover part 59 is open orclosed relative to main body part 62 and, if open, to what extent, basedon current input from motion detector 70.

[0026] Each sliding member (54, 56) is equipped with a generallytrapezoidal flange (88, 90) integrally formed on the side that is infrictional contact with a respective inner wall (58, 60) of main bodypart 62. Each flange protrudes toward a respective inner wall of mainbody part 62. Flanges 88, 90 are symmetrically disposed proximate to thefree end of each sliding member (54, 56). Flanges 88, 90 are adapted tomate with corresponding pairs of lateral grooves formed successively oninner walls 58, 60 of main body part 62, as generally depicted in FIG.3.

[0027] For example, flange 88 is adapted to mate with grooves 92, 94, 96and 98 formed on inner wall 58 of main body part 62 as sliding member 54slides along inner wall 58. Each groove is adapted to receive flange 88,i.e. each groove has a matching trapezoidal configuration.

[0028] Similarly, flange 90 is adapted to mate with grooves 100, 102,104 and 106 formed on inner wall 60 of main body part 62 as rack 56slides along inner wall 60. Each groove is adapted to receive flange 90,i.e. each groove has a matching trapezoidal configuration. A personskilled in the art would readily appreciate that a flange/groove matingpair is not limited to a trapezoidal configuration, but may beconstructed in a variety of ways such as, for example, utilizing anarcuate configuration or the like, provided there is no departure fromthe intended scope and spirit of the present invention. A person skilledin the art would also appreciate that the number of lateral groove pairsdoes not have to be limited to four, as generally illustrated in FIG. 3,but may be varied, as needed.

[0029] Each sliding member (54,56) is adapted to flex inward/outwardrelative to inner walls 58, 60 of main body part 62, respectively, asgenerally shown by bi-directional arrows 108, 110 of FIG. 3, so as toallow flanges 88, 90 to mate with successive pairs of grooves as slidecover part 59 is pushed into frictional sliding contact with inner walls58, 60 of main body part 62 by the mobile communication terminal user.Slide cover part 59 is in sufficiently close frictional contact withinner walls 58, 60 of main body part 62 to prevent sliding movement onits own, e.g. due to gravity, between successive pairs of grooves, i.e.when flanges 88, 90 are not in mating contact with a respective pair ofgrooves.

[0030] Alternatively, slide cover part 59 may be designed to slide onits own under gravity along inner walls 58, 60 between successive pairsof grooves, if such functionality is desired by the mobile communicationterminal manufacturer. Other design variations may be utilized, providedsuch other variations do not deviate from the intended purpose of thepresent invention.

[0031] When slide cover part 59 is pushed forward (along directionalarrows 80, 82) by the user from a closed state, flanges 88, 90 may becaptured initially by lateral grooves 92, 100, respectively, dependingon the force magnitude, arresting the generally linear movement of slidecover part 59 relative to main body part 62, as generally shown by“State 1” position in FIG. 3. Output current signals corresponding tothe change in resistance value of variable resistor 76 (FIG. 4), whichin turn corresponds to the displacement of slide cover part 59 from aninitial closed state position to the “State 1” position of FIG. 3, arebeing sent to controller 84 for processing by motion detector 70 via ADC86 (FIG. 5).

[0032] In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the operation of sliding mechanism 52 and controller 84 maybe implemented as generally illustrated in reference to FIG. 6.Specifically, after controller 84 is initialized, i.e. “Start” step 112(FIG. 6) has been performed, controller 84 checks whether there is anycurrent input, step 114 (FIG. 6). If the answer is in the negative,controller 84 operates the mobile communication terminal in standbymode, step 116 (FIG. 6), and subsequently repeats step 114. In thiscase, slide cover part 59 is in a closed state.

[0033] If the answer is in the affirmative, slide cover part 59 is in anopen state. What remains to be determined is the extent to which slidecover part 59 is open. Specifically, controller 84 checks the open stateof slide cover part 59 based on input current value, step 118 (FIG. 6),to determine whether one of four pre-set reference current values suchas, for example, 10 mA, 20 mA, 30 mA, and 35 mA, matches the inputcurrent value.

[0034] For example, controller 84 may check whether slide cover part 59is currently in “State 1” (FIG. 3), step 120 (FIG. 6). State 1corresponds to slide cover part 59 being slightly open relative to mainbody part 62 with flanges 88, 90 received by lateral grooves 92, 100,respectively, as generally depicted in FIG. 3.

[0035] If the input current value matches the lowest reference currentvalue (e.g., 10 mA), controller 84 concludes that slide cover part 59 isin “State 1” (FIG. 3). If “State 1” is maintained for a predeterminedperiod of time, controller 84 operates an alarm message generation menufor the user, step 122 (FIG. 6), which may include an alarm message suchas, for example, “slide cover is open”.

[0036] After generation of the alarm message or if the input currentvalue does not match the lowest reference current value, controller 84may proceed to check whether slide cover part 59 is currently in “State2” (FIG. 3), step 124 (FIG. 6). “State 2” corresponds to slide coverpart 59 being generally half way open relative to main body part 62 withflanges 88, 90 received by lateral grooves 94, 102, respectively.

[0037] If the input current value matches the second highest referencecurrent value (e.g., 20 mA), controller 84 concludes that slide coverpart 59 is in “State 2”. If “State 2” is maintained for a predeterminedperiod of time, controller 84 operates an automatic response menu, step126 (FIG. 6), which may include automatic response messages such as, forexample, “I am tied up in a meeting, please leave a message”, “I am onthe road, please leave a message”, “I am in rest mode, please call in acouple of hours”, etc.

[0038] After generation of an appropriate automatic response message orif the input current value does not match the second highest referencecurrent value, controller 84 may proceed to check whether slide coverpart 59 is currently in “State 3” (FIG. 3), step 128 (FIG. 6). State 3corresponds to slide cover part 59 being open enough to fully displaythe mobile communication terminal liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.In this case, flanges 88, 90 are received by lateral grooves 96,104,respectively.

[0039] If the input current value matches the third highest referencecurrent value (e.g., 30 mA), controller 84 concludes that slide coverpart 59 is in “State 3”. If “State 3” is maintained for a predeterminedperiod of time, controller 84 operates the mobile communication terminalin communication mode, step 130 (FIG. 6), and displays a correspondingmenu on the LCD screen.

[0040] After operation of the communication mode menu or if the inputcurrent value does not match the third highest reference current value,controller 84 may proceed to check whether slide cover part 59 iscurrently in “State 4” (FIG. 3), step 132 (FIG. 6). State 4 correspondsto slide cover part 59 being fully open relative to main body part 62with an exposed mobile communication terminal camera. In this case,flanges 88, 90 are received by lateral grooves 98, 106, respectively.

[0041] If the input current value matches the fourth highest referencecurrent value (e.g., 35 mA), controller 84 concludes that slide coverpart 59 is in “State 4”. If “State 4” is maintained for a predeterminedperiod of time, controller 84 operates the mobile communication terminalin multimedia mode, step 134 (FIG. 6), and displays a corresponding menuon the LCD screen.

[0042] After operation of the multimedia mode menu or if the inputcurrent value does not match the fourth highest reference current value,controller 84 may repeat step 114, as generally shown in FIG. 6.

[0043] A person skilled in the art would recognize that theabove-described novel sliding mechanism is not restricted to mobiletelephone terminal applications, but may be implemented in a variety ofother suitable applications. Other components and/or configurations maybe utilized in the above-described embodiments.

[0044] For example, sliding members 54, 56 may be operatively coupled torespective outer (instead of inner) walls of main body part 62.Furthermore, sliding member 54 (instead of sliding member 56) may beconfigured as a gear rack adapted to mesh with pinion 66. In such case,pinion 66 would be operatively coupled to rack 54. Moreover, the slidingmechanism of the present invention may utilize two (instead of one)rack-and-pinion mechanisms to achieve the general functionalitydescribed hereinabove. Also, the above-described functionality may beadapted to incorporate more or less than four operational states(modes), as needed.

[0045] All terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible mannerconsistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and“comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components,or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referencedelements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combinedwith other elements, components, or steps that are not expresslyreferenced.

[0046] While the present invention has been described in detail withregards to several embodiments, it should be appreciated that variousmodifications and variations may be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In thisregard it is important to note that practicing the invention is notlimited to the applications described hereinabove.

[0047] Many other applications and/or alterations may be utilizedprovided that such other applications and/or alterations do not deviatefrom the intended purpose of the present invention. Also, featuresillustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used inanother embodiment to provide yet another embodiment such that thefeatures are not limited to the embodiments described above. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover all such embodiments andvariations as long as such embodiments and variations come within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sliding mechanism, comprising: at least onemember adapted to slide along at least one body wall, said at least onebody wall and said at least one sliding member adapted to mate in atleast one designated location when said at least one sliding member ispushed into frictional sliding contact with said at least one body wallfrom an initial location; and means for determining whether said atleast one sliding member has moved from said initial location to said atleast one designated location.
 2. A sliding mechanism, comprising: atleast one member adapted to slide along at least one body wall, said atleast one body wall and said at least one sliding member adapted to matein at least one designated location when said at least one slidingmember is pushed into frictional sliding contact with said at least onebody wall from an initial location; at least one motion detectoroperatively coupled to said at least one sliding member; and at leastone controller operatively coupled to said at least one motion detectorand adapted to determine whether said at least one sliding member hasmoved from said initial location to said at least one designatedlocation based on input from said at least one motion detector.
 3. Thesliding mechanism of claim 2, wherein said input from said at least onemotion detector is current input.
 4. The sliding mechanism of claim 3,further comprising at least one analog-to-digital converter (ADC)operatively coupled between said at least one controller and said atleast one motion detector.
 5. The sliding mechanism of claim 2, whereinsaid at least one sliding member is configured as a rack adapted to meshwith a pinion, said pinion having a rotatable shaft.
 6. The slidingmechanism of claim 5, wherein said at least one motion detector isoperatively coupled to said rotatable shaft.
 7. The sliding mechanism ofclaim 2, wherein said at least one motion detector comprises at leastone load resistor connected in series with at least one variableresistor, said at least one variable resistor having a resistance valuebeing varied in direct proportion to movement by said at least onesliding member.
 8. The sliding mechanism of claim 7, wherein said atleast one load resistor and said at least one variable resistor areoperatively coupled between a voltage supply source and a current outputterminal.
 9. A method for determining the open state of a slide coverpart relative to a main body part of a communication terminal, saidmethod comprising the steps of: generating slide cover part motion data;processing said motion data to determine whether the slide cover part isin a slightly open state; generating an alarm message if the slide coverpart is determined to be in a slightly open state; processing saidmotion data to determine whether the slide cover part is in a half wayopen state if the slide cover part is determined not to be in a slightlyopen state; generating an automatic response if the slide cover part isdetermined to be in a half way open state; processing said motion datato determine whether the slide cover part is open enough to fullydisplay the communication terminal screen if the slide cover part isdetermined not to be in a half way open state; operating thecommunication terminal in communication mode if the slide cover part isopen enough to fully display the communication terminal screen;processing said motion data to determine whether the slide cover part isin a fully open state if the slide cover part is determined not to beopen enough to fully display the communication terminal screen; andoperating the communication terminal in multimedia mode if the slidecover part is in a fully open state.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the step of operating the communication terminal in standbymode if no slide cover part motion data is generated.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising the step of checking whether slide coverpart motion data has been generated.